The Stuff Friendship Is Made Of
by pucktofaerie
Summary: Can a lifelong friendship survive the winning of a chocolate factory? Charlie Bucket is about to find out...
1. Off to Face the World

A/N: Alrighty then. I believe that I can officially say that I've found my new obsession (I've seen the movie three times now, how sad is that?) But, one must admit, Johnny Depp is great…anywho, the first few chapters may seem a little slow, but stick with me here; there's a lot of background information to lay down first. Buckle up and hang on tight, cause it's full speed ahead. And there's no knowing where we're going…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Rebecca Smithens; if you wanna borrow her, please ask first. Don't bother suing me--you don't want my student debt, and babysitting doesn't pay _that_ well. So back off, you lawyer parasitic types!

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Chapter 1: Off to Face the World

The day had finally arrived. The day that all of the Buckets (and a certain Mr. Wonka) had been secretly dreading. The day for Charlie to return to school after moving into the chocolate factory.

Mrs. Bucket had allowed Charlie to stay home a few days to get acclimated with their new situation. However, despite Mr. Wonka's best efforts to convince her that Charlie didn't need to go to school anymore, she soon insisted that Charlie return to school, lest he fall too far behind in his studies. She didn't particularly care that he had a chocolate factory to inherit; Sara Bucket was not going to allow her son to go through life with nothing more than half of a sixth grade education.

As Charlie woke up and began to get ready for school, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. It wasn't the press he was worried about; Mr. Wonka had already taken care of that. The day after Charlie had accepted his offer, Mr. Wonka had issued a press release stating that Charlie Bucket was the winner of his contest. However, Wonka did not say _exactly_ what it was that Charlie had won. He only said that under no circumstances was the Bucket family to be disturbed for interviews, and that all questions could be sent in writing to him at the factory. Surprisingly enough, when Mr. Bucket arrived at work the next day, he found that the press had obeyed Mr. Wonka's request (perhaps out of fear after seeing what had happened to the other four Golden Ticket winners).

The Buckets had been wise enough to request that Mr. Wonka wait until the cover of darkness before moving the Bucket house to the chocolate factory, which turned out to be a very smart thing. Because of this, people who knew the Buckets assumed that they had simply moved (as things had been looking up for them lately) and that their shack of a house had been demolished. ( Well, _most_ people assumed that. One person was smart enough to think otherwise, but we shall get to that later.)

No, it wasn't the press that Charlie was nervous about on his first day back to school, but rather the other children. You see, Charlie had never been popular at school, on account that he and his family were so poor. So, the Buckets were afraid that there would be children who would act jealous and spiteful toward Charlie and make everything terrible for him.

But Charlie did his best to push these thoughts from his mind as he gulped down the last of his milk and made his rounds of goodbyes. As he started to leave, Mrs. Bucket knelt down in front of him and started fixing his collar.

"Now Charlie, there's bound to be a little commotion among some of the other children at school, so the best thing to do is just keep your head down and try not to say too much about everything, alright? Keep out of trouble, now." Mrs. Bucket placed her hands on her son's shoulders and looked him in the eye, making sure that he understood everything she was telling him.

"Yes, mum," Charlie answered, giving her a smile. Sara Bucket smiled back and gave him a kiss on the cheek before straightening.

"Alright then. You'd better hurry off before you're late," she said, patting him on the shoulder and ushering him out the door. A few last goodbyes were shouted, and Mrs. Bucket watched her son as he set out from the house.

"Now, don't worry, Sara, the boy'll be fine," Grandpa Joe told her reassuringly.

"Of course he will. If he can survive being with those brats who came through here a few weeks ago, he can deal with the rapscallions at school," Grandpa George added.

Sara Bucket just sighed. "I hope you're right, dad," she answered. "I just hope that you're right."


	2. Of Bullies and Friendship

A/N: Okay then, here we go for round two! We get to meet Charlie's friend, and find out why he's more than a little nervous about going back to school. Also, this chapter may feel a little slow, cause it's mostly background, but after this the fun starts, kay? So stick with me here.

Disclaimer: If I owned a huge chocolate factory, would I be _here _right now? Don't think so.

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Chapter 2: Of Bullies and Friendship

Charlie clutched the straps of his backpack nervously as he neared the schoolyard. He knew with absolute certainty that his family had every right to be worried about him. His parents didn't know it, but Charlie was often prey to one of the meanest bullies at his school. Terrence Mitchell had failed the eighth grade twice, and as a result, he was the oldest kid at Pillars St. A lot of the time Charlie was lucky enough to slide under his radar, but with the attention he'd received over the Golden Ticket, he doubted that Terrence would pass up the opportunity to torment him.

The children who noticed Charlie as he entered the schoolyard fell silent as he passed them, before quickly whispering behind their hands as soon as he'd passed. The boy sighed and headed inside, trudging through the slush that had formed on the ground.

"Hey Bucket!" Charlie froze in his tracks at the sound of Terrence's voice. He turned slowly, and saw Terrence and his cache of friends closing in on him. Somehow, Charlie doubted that Terrence was coming to congratulate him.

"So what's this I hear about you winning some big contest, Bucket?" Terrence sneered as he stepped up to Charlie. "Wonder how you even made it inside of that factory at all. What'd you do, snatch the ticket out of some little old lady's hand?"

Terrence's friends snickered at the remark while Charlie remained silent. He'd learned long ago that the best thing to do with Terrence is simply to keep one's mouth shut.

"No, no, what I bet he did was he stole the money for the chocolate from his parents, and then he just happened to hit it rich. So what'd ya win, Bucket? That crackpot Wonka wouldn't say." Terrence stared down at Charlie expectantly.

Charlie Bucket was somewhat startled by his own response. "Mr. Wonka is a genius," he said heatedly. "He's certainly smarter than _you'll_ ever be."

It wasn't until Terrence's face contorted with fury that Charlie realized the danger of what he'd just said. "What'd you say to me, shrimp?" Terrence demanded, grabbing Charlie's shirt with both hands. "I'm gonna make you sorry you _ever_ talked back to me, Bucket."

Fortunately, for Charlie, the bell rang at that exact moment, and teachers came out into the schoolyard to start ushering children inside. Terrence slowly let go of Charlie's shirt and smoothed it over with one hand. "I'll deal with you later," he said in a low voice, before straightening and leading his buddies into the school. As they cleared out, Charlie sighed, and caught sight of someone who had been standing behind the crowd of bullies.

It was a small, thin girl, about Charlie's age, with thick brown hair that was braided down her back. She was wearing a worn simple dress and boots that appeared to be two sizes too big for her. She caught Charlie's gaze and smiled almost shyly.

"Hi Charlie," she said softly. Charlie smiled back at her.

"Hi Beka," he replied, and they headed into the school together.

Rebeka Smithens and Charlie Bucket had been very good friends for as long as they could remember. Their mothers had been close friends since high school, and lived just a few houses apart from each other after they were married; so when Sara Bucket and Mary Smithens gave birth just a few months apart, it was clear that their children were going to grow up close.

Charlie and Beka had other things in common as well, besides their mothers. They were both only children, with no siblings to speak of. Both of their fathers worked at the toothpaste factory. They were both dreadfully poor, though for different reasons. For years, Charlie's father had simply not been able to make enough money for seven people. Beka's family was far smaller, with only her and her parents, but Beka's father spent most of his money on liquor each week. This meant that Mrs. Smithens had to work as a washwoman to make ends meet.

It was not uncommon to see Beka Smithens at the Bucket's house on any given day of the week. Many days she would come over after school with Charlie, go home for supper, and come back till dark. You see, though Charlie's family was poor and hungry, they loved each other very much, so they were a generally happy family. Beka's family, though they were a little bit richer, was quite miserable, as her father was a mean drunk and her mother was usually exhausted from working all the time. This is why Beka usually took haven at the Bucket's home, as it was much more pleasant than her own.

This is part of the reason why Beka became so terrible concerned when the entire Bucket clan--indeed their whole _house_--seemed to disappear overnight. Beka of course didn't believe the nonsense that they'd simply moved and their house had been demolished. First of all, she knew that Charlie would have told her ahead of time, and second…well, who demolishes a house at night? Besides, Charlie had told her all about the strange Mr. Wonka, and his invitation for Charlie to come and live at the factory--and after seeing what had happened to the other four children who had visited Wonka's factory, she didn't put _anything_ past the man.

Nevertheless, Beka was _very_ relieved to see Charlie back at school, after neither hearing from him nor seeing him for several days. Even if he had been on the verge of being beaten up…

It wasn't until lunch that the two had a chance to talk, and Charlie was excited to share his tale with his best friend. They sat on the school steps, huddled close together, speaking in excited whispers.

"So you're _living_ there now?" Beka asked, her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"Yeah. It's great--we're right in the Chocolate Room, right beside the river. It's wonderful!" Charlie answered, grinning from ear to ear.

"It sounds beautiful. A little weird, granted, but it must be absolutely fabulous!" Beka said.

"It is. But you can't say anything, alright? My parents think it's better if nobody knows what I've won."

"Don't worry Charlie. Your secret's safe with me."


	3. A Most Interesting Idea

A/N: Geez, three chapters in one day--this is most defiantly a record. And once I get reviews, you can look for your responses. For now…hmmm, things will begin to get interesting. Mr. Wonka gets a most interesting proposal, and must figure out the best way to handle it…read on, my pretties! And be on the lookout for Wonka quotes at the beginnings of my chapters!

Disclaimer: Sigh, I own my OCs, but sadly, nothing that even resembles a chocolate factory or our favorite chocolatiers. Except for my edition of the book that has movie pics inside…

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Chapter 3: A Most Interesting Idea…

A whirlwind blew into the Bucket's home so fast that Mrs. Bucket was entirely uncertain as to whether it was her son Charlie or perhaps some strange factory creature that she had yet to come into contact with. Only the clatter of books and a quick "Hi mum!" gave her the reassurance that this whirlwind's name was in fact Charlie Bucket.

Just as Charlie was about to race out the door again, Mrs. Bucket reached down and caught him in her arms. Twisting him around so that his back was to her, she leaned down next to his ear.

"Now is that any way to greet your most favorite mum in the whole world?" she asked, grinning and tickling the squirming Charlie.

"Mum…" Charlie laughed, trying to wiggle away. She released him and turned him around to face her.

"How was school?" she asked, as Charlie caught his breath.

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Really."

"No trouble?"

"No trouble." At this, Mrs. Bucket narrowed her eyes and peered at her son. Charlie wasn't one to lie, but he _had_ seemed a bit wide-eyed when he'd answered.

"Charlie…"she said, a warning tone in her voice.

"No trouble, mum," Charlie answered again with the shake of his head. His mother stared at him for a moment longer before nodding once.

"Good."

Since it seemed that he had passed his mother's inspection, Charlie headed for the door. Mrs. Bucket, though she had turned back to the stove, saw him out of the corner of her eye. "Now just where do you think you're going?" she asked. Charlie froze.

"Mr. Wonka wanted me to meet him…" he started.

Mrs. Bucket cut him off with one hand. "Homework first," she instructed.

"I finished it in study hall," Charlie answered. Mrs. Bucket narrowed her eyes at him again.

"All of it?"

Charlie nodded and smiled at his mother. "All of it."

Mrs. Bucket smiled herself. "Alright, then. Go on." The words were barely out of her mouth before Charlie was out the door. "And don't be late for supper!" she added, yelling after him.

* * *

The Bucket family was just finishing up their preparations for dinner when Charlie and Mr. Wonka entered the small house. "Right on time," Mrs. Bucket said, smiling at the newcomers. Mr. Wonka hung his hat by the door and put down his cane.

"Staying for supper, Willy?" Mr. Bucket asked, eliciting a smile from the shy chocolatier.

"Yes, please," he answered, taking what was rapidly becoming his regular seat at the table.

Dinner proceeded with the usual description of days and family small talk. When a lull finally presented itself in the conversation, Charlie looked at his mother to ask her the question that had been growing on his mind all day.

"Mum, may I invite Beka over for supper tomorrow?"

Mrs. Bucket exchanged a quick look with Mr. Bucket as she dished out more mashed potatoes for Grandma Josephine. "I don't mind Charlie, as long as it's okay with Mr. Wonka. He may not want you inviting someone new into the factory just yet."

Charlie switched his gaze to his new mentor, who had taken a peculiar interest in his roast beef as soon as he had heard Charlie's question. "Do you mind Mr. Wonka? I think you'd like her."

Mr. Wonka looked up at Charlie and glanced nervously around the table. "Well, uh…who's this?"

"Rebeka Smithens," Mrs. Bucket answered, before Charlie could say anything. "She and Charlie have been very good friends since they were in diapers."

"Mum…"Charlie groaned. Mrs. Bucket just smiled at him.

"The girl's practically family, Willy. She's very sweet. Her mother and I have been friends for years," Mrs. Bucket continued.

"I think you'd like her, Willy. She's a lot like Charlie," Mr. Bucket added. Mr. Wonka glanced around the table. Everyone seemed to be waiting for his answer.

After just a moment's pause, Mr. Wonka smiled brightly at his apprentice. "Well of course she can come," he answered. He leaned over slightly in Charlie's direction. "I look forward to meeting her."

Charlie smiled broadly and let out a smile sigh of relief. "Great." Mr. Wonka nodded and smiled, and the rest of meal went quite pleasantly. Inwardly, however, Willy Wonka cringed at this new idea. What on earth was he going to do?

* * *

That evening, after he had left the Bucket's home and finished up the night's business, Willy Wonka paced around his lounge in his robe and slippers. "What to do, what to do…" He muttered under his breath.

You see, Mr. Wonka truly hated the idea of Charlie inviting his best friend to the factory. He liked to think that _he_ would be Charlie's best friend, and that they would spend lots and lots of time together, just the two of them, going over all of Wonka's wonderful ideas and inventions. But this other friend…well now, this simply wouldn't do at all.

Mr. Wonka paced up and down, letting the more mischievous part of his brain work its magic. He couldn't let something actually happen to the girl, oh no--certainly nothing like what had happened to the other four Golden Ticket winners. First of all, he didn't want to make Charlie mad at him, and he certainly didn't want to give the Buckets any reason to want to leave the factory. Besides, if Charlie was such good friends with the girl, then Mr. Wonka was sure that she wasn't nearly as beastly as the other children who'd come to his factory. If fact, she was probably perfectly pleasant. So no, nothing could actually _happen_ to her…

But now, if she were to _choose_ not to come back to the factory, if he could just frighten her a bit to think twice about coming back…well now, that was a horse of a different color. Maybe, just maybe…slowly, a particularly devilish smile crossed Willy Wonka's face. Oh yes, perhaps that was the answer to problem after all.


	4. A Dream Come True

A/N: Well, it's nice to see that we're off to a fairly nice start. Things are going to start picking up with this chapter, and then who knows? Anywho, I hope ya'll enjoy this next bit.

Disclaimer: Grrr…they're not mine, I tell you! Well, okay, a couple of them are, but not the ones that matter. So leave me alone already.

Yay reviewers! Many, many thanks to my wonderful reviewers! Chocolate for everyone!

**VeganHippie**: Glad you like. Truth, be told, I'm not entirely sure _what_ Wonka's gonna do. I guess we'll find out, won't we? I'm not sure why, but for some reason we love torturing the characters that we love most. Don't worry, there will be much more bullying. Terrence hasn't forgotten about Charlie's insult. Hope you enjoy this next bit!

**Sidpeeper**: I hope I've updated soon enough to avoid getting hit with the candy cane. Although, since you said that in chapter one, and I posted two more chapters that day, it should be enough to satisfy you. Curious though…what wordplay were you referring to? I don't remember doing anything intentional…hehe, I've rarely been accused of cliffhangers. Don't worry, I don't think Wonka's going to do anything drastic. Probably just the whole freak factor. You'll find out soon!

**LadyMaundrell: **Oh good, I'm glad everyone's in character. That's something I try to pay close attention too. Beka is going to become much more developed as the story continues. Some pretty bad things are going to happen to her, but some good things too. So…you'll just have to wait and see. I'm going to hold you to your word; I'll keep updating and you keep reviewing. I do love loyal reviewers.

**Valerie**** Phoenixfire**Glad you enjoyed it. Here's some more for you.

And I want to thank whoever it was who posted my story in a C2. I don't know who you are, but many thanks. And thanks to all of you who have read and not reviewed; although just because I see the hits, doesn't mean that you don't need to review. If you don't like something, feel free to tell me, though be warned: if you flame me, I'll respond to you as I see fit.

Also, many thanks to Sidpeeper for the honey comment. I kinda stole it from her fic, "The Chocolatier's Surprise." So all the props go to her for that.

And to start a new tradition, Wonka quotes! At the beginning of each chapter you'll be able to find a quote from the Dahl book (and eventually from the movie, if someone will tell me what site they've been using) that I particularly like. Most of them are things Wonka says, but some of them aren't. So enjoy!

_"Well, well, well," sighed Mr. Willy Wonka, "two naughty little children gone. Three good little children left. I think we'd better get out of this room before we lose anyone else!"_

_-Mr. Wonka, Chapter 22--"Along the Corridor"_

Chapter 4: A Dream Come True…Or Is It?

Beka slowly tilted her head up and up, taking in the magnitude of the factory before her. This wasn't the first time that she had been outside the gates of Wonka's famous factory; she and Charlie used to pass it every day on their way to and from school. But somehow knowing that she was about to enter the marvelous factory made it seem even bigger than before.

Charlie led his wide-eyed friend around the corner, heading away from the main gates of the factory. "Where are we going?" Beka asked, looking over her shoulder at the main gates.

"Trust me," Charlie answered. A few minutes later they stood in the shadow of the factory on the east side. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, Charlie slid a key from his pocket and unlocked a small side gate in the wall. He held it open for Beka before closing it firmly behind them.

"Mr. Wonka says that using the main gates will attract too much attention," Charlie explained as he relocked the gate. He led her down the narrow path to a small door in the side of the factory. Charlie pushed it open, leading his friend into the most magical place in the world.

A pale pink corridor filled Beka's vision as a blast of warm air escaped through the open door. Charlie quickly pulled the door shut behind them and began tugging off his scarf. "Come on," he urged as Beka stared at the tall corridor as though unable to believe that she was truly inside the great Wonka chocolate factory. She numbly followed Charlie down the small hallway to where it met up with a much bigger one.

"This is the main corridor," Charlie explained. Like the smaller hallway they'd just emerged from, this one was also a pale pink color. "Mr. Wonka hates for things to be dull and ugly," he added, as though reading his friend's thoughts.

Doors lined the corridor and many other hallways sprouted off of the main one. Beka stayed close to Charlie as they walked, afraid that if she wasn't careful she would lose him in the labyrinth of the factory.

As they turned yet another corner they spotted an odd man coming out of one of the rooms ahead of them. He was wearing a long burgundy coat and a matching top hat, and in one hand he carried a cane. Looking closer, Beka could see that he wore dark gloves that reminded her of the kind doctors wore as they examined patients. Hearing the children approach, he turned to face them, and shot them the whitest, strangest smile that Beka had ever seen.

"Hiya, Charlie," the man greeted, before shifting his gaze to Beka. For a brief moment a strange look came into his eyes, before he added, "Hello there, little girl."

"Hi, Mr. Wonka," Charlie answered, and Beka gasped ever so slightly. She had suspected that this strange man could be Mr. Willy Wonka, but to actually _hear_ it out loud…

"Charlie…"she said softly, with a sidelong glance at her friend. The boy looked at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Beka. He's mostly harmless."

Mr. Wonka cocked his head slightly at Charlie's statement, grinning a little wider. Though he wasn't altogether certain as to why Charlie had stated that his mentor was _mostly_ harmless, he was glad that he had. Charlie didn't know it, but he was helping Wonka in his plan to be rid of the girl. Then another thought occurred to Wonka. Maybe…maybe Charlie didn't _really_ want the girl in the factory either! Maybe he'd just invited her there to be nice—that would, after all, be a very Charlie-like thing to do.

"Oh." The sound of Beka's voice snapped Wonka out of his train of thought. He found that the girl's gaze now rested on him. "So, you're…really _him_, then." Wonka looked a little confused, but continued staring at her with his peculiar blue eyes. A nervous smile broke out slowly on Beka's face. "Wow," she breathed.

"Mr. Wonka, this is Beka. My friend that I told you about," Charlie said, trying to be polite.

"Well, of course she is," Mr. Wonka answered brightly. "Now come on kids. I got something I wanna show ya." With that, he turned and began striding up the corridor. Beka and Charlie hurried after him.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're finally here, Charlie. I've been waiting all day for your help on this," Mr. Wonka said as they headed for the Inventing Room. "I can't figure out the flavors for my new line of Valentine's Day chocolates."

"What are you trying to do?" Charlie asked, walking quickly to keep up with his mentor's longer stride. Beka trailed along behind them, staying close.

"Well, I'd like to have a line of chocolate flowers that explode when you eat them." At Charlie's quizzical look, Wonka explained. "They're for giving to people who have broken up with their sweethearts near Valentine's Day." The trio paused as they reached the door of the Inventing Room, and Wonka leaned over to open the door. He caught Charlie giving him a strange look. "What?"

Charlie merely shook his head and entered the room. Wonka held the door open for Beka, who smiled at him nervously. He gave her an odd look before they stepped into the Inventing Room.

Once inside, Wonka took the lead once more, leading Charlie over to a tall table that had a variety of chemicals and things on it. Charlie climbed up onto the stool that sat on one side of the table and Wonka stood opposite him. Beka looked around at all of the different machines with wide eyes, but was careful not to wander too far away from the table. "Now, I know that I want the flowers to explode into a red hot fiery flavor. I was thinking something along the line of flosendrakes. What do you think?"

"Why not use jalapeños? Aren't they suppose to be the hottest peppers or something?" Beka asked quietly. Wonka gave her a degrading look.

"Jalapeños? Poppycock. _Flosendrakes_ are the hottest eatable substance on the planet. Everybody knows that."

"Oh." Beka looked away from the strange man and took a sudden new interest in the weird machine that stood off in the corner. Wonka turned his attention back to Charlie.

"It sounds like you already know what you're doing," Charlie commented.

"Yeah, well, the tricky part is that I want to have another line of chocolate flowers, that look identical to the exploding flowers, but these, people would give to their sweethearts. But I don't know what flavor to make them." Wonka moved his hands through the air as though trying to conjure up the treat from thin air. "I want it to be something…different. Something mixed in with the chocolate, to make it sweet, but not too sweet. Just…different."

"Hmmm…" Charlie tapped his finger on his chin in thought. "What about…honey?"

Mr. Wonka's face wrinkled up in disgust. "Eww. Do you know what honey is? It's the stuff that bees chew up and spit out. Would you really want to eat something that's already been eaten? I don't think so."

"Okay then." Charlie continued to think, concentration showing on his face. Wonka's gaze wondered around the room as he thought, and it quickly settled on Beka, who was bending over peering at a vial of oddly colored liquid setting on a machine, looking as though she was on the verge of tapping it.

"Uh…little girl," he called, causing Beka to look up at him. "Don't touch that." He waited to see what would happen. Part of him expected her to ignore his warning and go on poking about, just like the other children had done. That same part of him was rather hoping that she would; the girl disobeying him would give him a clear reason to ban her from his factory, and if that particular vial were to spill on her it would dye her skin a most fantastic shade of pink. But to his disappointment, the girl looked alarmed at his warning, and she quickly raised her hands far away from the machine and took a big step back. Wonka turned his attention back to the brainstorming session.

Beka only paid ideal attention to the inventors sitting at the table. The Inventing Room was filled with strange machines and interesting things to look at. Though she was careful not to wonder, she couldn't help but be fascinated by the room. She caught sight of a strange looking little man—actually several little men—working around one of the machines. Bending over and peeking around a machine, she watched them, fascinated. After a moment, one of them turned and noticed her, and she waved at him with a smile, causing the group of the little men to cackle with laughter. Beka smiled broader—these must be the Oompa-Loompas that Charlie had told her about.

The brainstorming session was not making much progress so far. As Beka continued to explore, the steady flow of dialogue continued behind her. Most of it sounded painfully one-sided ("Caramel?" "No." "Peanut butter?" "No." "Strawberry?" "No." "Honeydew?" "Eww. No.") And so on and so forth. Charlie would constantly toss ideas up into the air and Wonka would throw them out just as efficiently. Beka circled back around towards the table, and propped herself up on a stool that was sitting nearby. She watched the discussion toss itself back and forth between the two like a tennis match,

"What about banana?"

"No."

"Orange?"

"No."

"Grape?"

"What are you, on a fruit kick? No."

"What about honeysuckle?" The quiet suggestion caused both Wonka and Charlie to look over to where Beka was sitting quietly. Charlie looked back at Mr. Wonka to see what his answer would be.

"What?" The chocolatier looked slightly confused by the girl's suggestion.

Beka looked down and shifted nervously. "Well, you know…honeysuckle. It's not as sweet as honey, and it comes from flowers, not bees. We used to have a patch of them behind our house. Remember, Charlie?" She looked up at her friend.

Charlie's face lit up at the memory. "Yeah. We used to pick the flowers and eat the nectar." He switched his gaze to Mr. Wonka. "It won't be too terribly sweet, and I certainly have never heard of anyone using it in candy, so it should be rather…different. It's worth a try at least."

Silence fell over the group as Wonka processed the idea. He stared at Beka with an odd look in his eyes as he thought. "Honeysuckle…yeah." A smile slowly formed across his face. "Well, okay then." Wonka straightened immediately and faced Beka again, giving her a real smile for the first time since she'd arrived. "Let's go try your idea, little girl."

* * *

Hmmm…yeah, so, Wonka hasn't _actually_ done anything to Beka yet. But just because he likes her idea doesn't mean that he's going to warm up to her just yet. I need ya'll to chip in any ideas that you have about ways that Wonka can try to (subtly) frighten Beka away from coming to the factory. I really appreciate it.

And don't forget, save a muse, send a review!


	5. Suspicion and Confusion

A/N: I know, I know, no excuse is worthy of explaining my neglect of this story. If the same laws applied to stories as they do to children, my stories would be put into foster care. But college is crazy, and I have exams this week. And my taste for CatCF fanfic went stale for awhile, and only recently returned. So…please don't throw rotten vegetables at me.

Yay reviews! I was so happy with the response to this story. Okay, so having 15 reviews and over 300 hits can be a little disheartening, but at least people are reading. So thank you even if you're reading and not reviewing, but I really wish that you would review, even if there's something that you don't like. Plus you get a nifty response!

Whew! Well now, after all of that…we'd better get on with the show. But first…Wonka book quote!

"…_The Oompa-Loompas were all dressed in the most extraordinary way…and they were working in complete silence. Watching them, Charlie experienced a queer sense of danger. There was something dangerous about this whole business, and the Oompa-Loompas knew it."_

-Chapter 26 "The Television-Chocolate Room"

Chapter 5: Suspicion and Confusion

Willy Wonka led the two children to a separate part of the Inventing Room, where a relatively small machine and side table stood. The inventor strapped on a pair of safety goggles and began to fiddle with the beakers and machine that stood next to him. Charlie mimicked his mentor and handed Beka a pair of goggles as well. One could never be too careful when Mr. Wonka was experimenting with new ideas.

The children watched on, fascinated, as the chocolatier poured a little bit of one mixture, then a little of another, into a big beaker on the table. The entire set-up struck Beka as looking like a bizarre chemistry set. After several moments of mixing and measuring, Wonka stuck a gloved finger into the blue liquid and then licked it off, flicking his tongue a few times. He cocked his head slightly for a moment. An occasional "hmm," was the only sound he made during the entire process.

Appearing pleased with his concoction, Wonka took the beaker and carefully poured its contents into a tube in the machine. With a smile, he pulled a lever on the side and the machine began to whirl and sputter loudly. Beka watched in amazement, and after a few moments, a conveyer belt began rolling out delicate chocolate flowers. Wonka picked one up and eyed it proudly. With a slight gleam in his eye, he held it toward Beka.

"Why don't _you_ try it first," he suggested. The girl gave him a slightly skittish look.

"W-w-why me?" she stammered. Wonka smiled at her knowingly.

"Well now, it was your idea, now wasn't it?" he answered sweetly, still holding the flower in her direction.

With a look of apprehension (Charlie had, of course, told her about some of the mishaps that sometimes happened with new candies), Beka slowly reached out her hand to take the chocolate. Just before she did, however, Charlie's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Beka and Wonka both switched their gazes to him.

"Mum's waiting on us," he said after a beat of silence. "For dinner." He slowly released his friend's arm and gave his teacher a look. "Why don't you just get an Oompa-Loompa to try it?"

Wonka seemed to sort of swallow his smile before a new one took its place, though this one was hardly as cocky as the one before. With a swift slight-of-hand (for Willy Wonka was nothing if not a magician) the man switched out the treats, for he had, of course, planned on giving the girl one of the exploding fire flowers by "accident." He then waved over one of the nearby Oompa-Loompas (who apparently decided who would go by a hasty game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Bending low, Wonka handed one of the sweet flowers to the little man and straightened. With a slight hesitation, the Oompa-Loompa took a bite out of the treat, chewed, swallowed, and cocked his head for a moment, before giving Wonka a thumbs-up.

The chocolatier looked slightly disappointed for a brief moment before pasting on a big smile for the kids. "Well there you go. I guess it was a good idea after all, little girl." Beka and Charlie exchanged a smile. "We don't want to keep your mom waiting, Charlie," Wonka added. Charlie pointed Beka towards a door at the other end of the room, but he grabbed Wonka's arm as he passed him. With a strong grip that surprised the older man, Charlie jerked Wonka down till they were more on eye level.

"Stop it," Charlie warned fiercely, in a low voice. Wonka was somewhat taken aback by his forceful tone. "Whatever it is you're doing—stop it."

Wonka pulled himself upright, straightening his coat. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently. Charlie only glared at him as he turned to meet Beka. Wonka grimaced slightly to himself as he followed the children. He didn't want _Charlie_ mad at him, that wouldn't do at all. The chocolatier resigned himself to an awkward dinner with the Bucket family. Maybe he would have a better idea of how to go about things after seeing how the others felt about the girl.

* * *

Sorry it's so short—with any luck, the next chapter will be up soon. But don't hold me to anything; my muses are picky, and exams are evil. So remember: save a muse, send a review! 


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